All is Lost
(or is it?)
(or is it?)
If you're a writer, then you're familiar with the "three-act story structure." If you're not, and you're interested, click here. My son Kevin (who's also a writer) and I love to point out items of the three-act story structure while we're watching a movie. We'll say, "That's the inciting incident; that's the midpoint; that's the all is lost moment..." It's actually not a good habit - it prevents us from truly savoring the movie!
In my life I've had at least three "all is lost" moments. Without going into detail, they were all situations where I was in deep despair and found it very difficult to go on. However, I did, due to my faith, perseverance, and the knowledge that I had people depending on me. In every case, the aftermath of those dark days was not easy, but eventually the sun did come out again in my world. Like the protagonist in the Hero's Journey, there is always a rising from the ashes, a resolution. But you must go on to see it.
Last Tuesday night as I watched the results come in for the U.S. Presidential Election, I found myself thinking of the "all is lost" moment. While I'm an Independent, and I won't discuss politics, I realized that many of my friends would have an extremely difficult time processing the election's result. Maybe it's that I'm a writer and accustomed to writing a plot where the protagonist goes through tough trials, but always prevails in the end, that I was so hopeful even at that moment. It's not life's blessings that make us strong, but life's challenges. Either way, we must go forward as a united country.
For decades I've lived by the words that Einstein so eloquently said,
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
